Subsidized lunches way up over last year

The percent of Wisconsin students whose family incomes qualified them for subsidized meals surged by 8.8% in 2009-'10 over the previous school year, the state Department of Public Instruction reported Thursday.

Even though enrollment in schools that participate in the National School Lunch program declined from the year before, the number of students who qualified for subsidized meals increased by 26,343, with 39% of all public school students now eligible for free and reduced-price meals. That rate is 3.5 percentage points higher than in 2008-'09 and nearly 10 percentage points higher than the percent of students who qualified for subsidized meals in 2003-'04, according to the DPI.

"Families are struggling but can receive help," state schools Superintendent Tony Evers said in a news release. "The federal income guidelines for free or reduced-price eligibility rates are designed so children do not have to suffer from hunger during the school day."

Students who qualify for free lunches come from homes where the household income is at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty rate, about $28,655 for a family of four. Students can qualify for reduced-price meals if their household income is below 185 percent of the federal poverty rate, or between $28,655 and $40,793 for a four-member family. The majority of Wisconsin students receiving subsidized meals qualify for free meals.

The percent of students who qualified for free and reduced-price meals in Milwaukee Public Schools rose to 80.7% this school year, nearly as high as the 89.5% in the Lac du Flambeau School District, which had the highest rate of subsidization for school meals.

About Amy Hetzner

I have covered schools in the metro Milwaukee area since I joined the paper in 2000. Prior to that, I worked at newspapers in Alabama and Illinois. I hold a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master's in journalism from Northwestern University.